Down
by Chalcodes
Summary: She's a lonely person with a severe case of the doldrums, afraid to move foreward for fear of the past. When a tiny, helpless pokémon enters her world, she's given newfound hope...  .:Set in-game world - original characters:.
1. Me

**Down**

**_Chapter 1 ~ Me_**

**Author's Notes:** Hey all. I've risen from the dead! I haven't actually been working on much writing-wise, to be truthful... Although I've been drawing like crazy. My writing style has changed despite this, I believe. Anywho, please R&R! I've had this story in mind for a very long time, and I believe I'll stick with it.

Enjoy.

* * *

I'm not particularly into adventure, and I never have been. When I was a kid, my definition of adventure was playing with the anthills outside of my mother's apartment. My ideas never quite seemed to stray farther then the front lawn, even when I got into upper elementary and all of my friends had their hearts set on the day that they'd get to set out on their own little adventures with pokémon at their sides.

Perhaps I was an odd kid, but the idea of pokémon never quite seemed appealing. And still, to this day, the thought hardly rings a bell of interest. My forte has always been with other things. When I was young, I always wanted to become somebody important.. Perhaps a singer or a dancer, or somebody in the entertainment business. Something that was challenging, but fun all the same. Perhaps _that_ was due to my childhood. If I could owe the spark of my interest in fun to somebody, it would definitely be my mother, who, to the eyes of a child, was the most boring, predictable person in Kanto.

I remember long days in the winter where she would simply sit in her boring old chair, which seemed to be as gray as her, and read dull books about boring topics, and things that were unachievable to the average person. She grew up with her head in the clouds –the need to always be chasing things she could never have converting her into the mindless, walking dead after years and years of stewing on the whole 'this is unfair' thing.

A strange woman to the average joe –a miserable old fool to me.

I frowned to myself as I gazed listlessly out the window, propping my head up with my hands –elbows on the sill.

Then again, I thought, perhaps I _was_ turning out to be like her. Twenty-three and living alone, going to work each day at a desk to file paperwork for a company that makes pokémon _food_, never having once been on a date..

My lips tightened, and I pushed away from the sill gently, running my hands down my arms to wipe off the dust on my elbows. I stood, resisting the urge to heave a sigh. My head was full with nostalgic thoughts, and it was weighing me down. Pivoting on my heel, I shoved these aforementioned thoughts to the back of my head, moving to my kitchen to fire up the stove.

_'Head full.. belly empty...'_ I thought to myself, the corner of my lip twitching very briefly into a half smile. I must've found that thought amusing for whatever reason. The smile faded abruptly as my thoughts trailed back off to my withered old mother, living alone in her apartment. I tried picturing myself in her place as I rummaged around for something edible to put in the heating pan. I attempted to imagine myself sitting in her chair, reading one of her dull books. This thought made me frown. Perhaps it was a good thing I couldn't _exactly_ see myself in her position yet.

Click –bing!

My eyes trailed sluggishly over to the clock on one of the kitchen walls. It's spindly second hand ticked timidly passed the thicker hour hand, which was stuck on the roman numeral one. I sighed softly to myself, letting my gaze linger for a minute before looking back to my roommate's ancient stove, but I paused as the kitchen phone let out three sharp trills in rapid succession.

My left hand shot out instantly, snatching it off the receiver and bringing it to my ear.

"Hello, who's.."

"Gineen, it's Kathrine."

A frown came to my face as my subordinate's voice registered. She always sounded so.. serious.

"Yeah.. What's up?" I questioned blandly, reaching for a can of chicken noodle soup as I absentmindedly listened to my co-worker start to yammer.

"You didn't organize those files properly I gave you at lunch yesterday, and when I got into work this morning, they dumped it all on me. Can you believe that? I mean, it's _your _paperwork isn't it? Isn't it?"  
"You're absolutely right Kathrine.."

"Yeah, I know! What's been up on your end? Why'd you call in sick today? Can I bring you anything to make you feel better, or what, huh?"  
"It's nothing Kathy.. I just don't feel good."

"What kind of 'don't feel good' is this?" I could hear her voice hitching with anticipation. Maybe she was hoping that I'd caught some exotic rash or something else she could use as an excuse to come over and bug the living shit out of me.

"I dunno.. It's just a flu I think... What're you up to?"

"Oh! That reminds me of something I was going to tell you! I'm over at Annie's. Annie called this morning and told me to tell you that she found the _cutest _pokémon outside her sister's house on Route–"

"Fuck!" I hissed softly into the phone as a few hot noodles splashed out, burning my hand. Kathrine squawked indignantly over the phone as I dropped the pan on my foot. The phone slid from my grasp as well. I jumped back a few feet, slipping on the hot broth and letting out of a cry of frustration as my ass hit the floor.

"Gineen? Gineen? Hey!"

I sat for a minute, staring stupidly at the overturned pan as my co-worker babbled hysterically on the other end of the line. Only when the warm liquid reached my toes did I pull them back, pushing myself up to stand with a bit of difficulty and swiping the phone up off the floor before the broth could reach it. I hastily threw it to my shoulder, tilting my head and pressing my ear into it to keep it in place as I started to clean up the mess.  
"Yes –yes?" I snapped, groaning slightly as I bent down to pick up the still-hot pan with a potholder.

"Jesus, Gineen! Are you ok? What happened over there?"

"Nothing Kathrine.. m'fine... tipped over a hot pot –what happened to who's sister?"

"Oh, oh, oh! Annie and her sister found the _cutest_ thing you ever will lay your eyes on.."

"Is it a man?" I resisted the urge to quirk a brow as I continued to wipe up the sloppy mess of noodles and chicken with a few uncooperative paper towels. "–a woman?"

"No, no Gineen! It's a _pokémon_, Jesus! I already told you that!"

"No offense, but you know I really don't listen when you talk to me."

"Cute.. Really cute."

I sighed softly, tossing a few broth soaked paper towels into the trash can with effort due to the limited mobility of my phone hand. What on earth was this woman poking at?

"So..?" I urged her to continue on with the actual point.

"_So_.. I was thinking that you could come over and check it out!"

A frown spread across my face, and I put a halt to the cleaning.

"Kathrine, you know I don't like pokémon."

"So? It's not like we're sending it home with you."

"Ya-huh. Really... Is it already in a pokéball?"

"No, it's not, for your information, Mrs. tight-ass... She found it injured on the side of the road. Although, it really needs somebody to care of–"

"I knew it! No, I'm not taking the damn thing, Kathy." I grumbled into the phone, bringing a hand up to run through my hair. I really couldn't believe that she'd called me up just to dump a friend's sister's pokémon on me. How truly absurd...

"Oh c'mon Gineen! It's cold and scared and hungry and lonely, and it really needs a place to stay! Will you at least come look at it?"

"Hell no. Why me? Why can't you take care of it?" I hissed softly as I turned to grab more paper towels, wrapping the long ugly yellow phone cord around my middle incidentally as I did so. A permanent frown imbedded itself upon my tired face as my subordinate started to tell me about how her land lord didn't accept pokémon, and how her boyfriend wouldn't have it, and so on. After a few minutes of listed excuses, I simply stopped listening, continuing to hold the phone to my ear as I cleaned up the rest of the broth –letting the words go in one ear and out the other.

I remained in this state until my task of cleaning up the kitchen floor and putting the pan in the sink was complete. After that was done, I simply leaned back against one of the counters, sighing to myself as I unwillingly joined the conversation once more.

" –such an adorable little thing! I'm lookin' at it right now! And know what? It's just screaming to be given a new, lovely, competent owner such as yourself! Oh, won't you Gineen? At least take a look at the poor little fellow? I'm sure it would appreciate it, at least. As well as Annie! Poor lady already has enough to deal with without this little thing to take care of. And it's not like we can release it back yet.."

"Let me ask you something."

"Sure hun, shoot."

"Do _you_ want to take care of a sick pokémon for x amount of weeks?"

"Oh Gineen.. At least just come over and look at him. Please? Annie wants to see you anyhow."

I brought a hand up to rub at my temples as I shimmied my way over to the bread drawer, pulling out a loaf of sourdough and popping a slice into the toaster. I figured I might as well go for something simple if _soup_ was too much.

"...Gineen?"

"I'm here. And yeah, sure. I'll drop by on my way to the store. I need to get out anyhow and grab some groceries. Ran out of pickles and tomato soup yesterday."

My eyes rolled of their own accord as I heard my co-worker squeal a squeal that would've probably cost me my hearing had her mouth been closer to the phone. I brought a hand up to grab said phone, shifting it to my other ear absently as I pulled a tub of butter out of my fridge. My eccentric subordinate took a few seconds to collect herself and spread the news of my soon-to-be arrival to whoever else was in the room before bringing the phone back to her own ear.

"Lovely! We'll see you in a while over at Annie's place then!"

"Nice."

The phone made a soft beep as I hit the 'end call' button.

* * *

_~Fin Chapter 1_


	2. Acceptance

**Down**

**_Chapter 2 ~ Acceptance_**

**Author's Notes: **I'm back with another chapter! I hope some of you R&R, haha! It really motivates me to hear that people read and (sometimes) enjoy my shit.

I have no beta reader as of yet.. If you're interested, please, by all means, say so in your review! Or send me a note.

* * *

The little creature didn't so much as stir when I laid a hand on it's brown chest plate. It hardly so much as moved or twitched when I gently shook it's tiny body. It's little chest simply continued to move up and down as the young pokémon sucked in breaths of fresh air. I ran my thumb over the yellow fur covering the thing's belly, finding it soft, and as I allowed my eyes to wonder over the scratched up little thing, I felt a sort of pity well up in the back of my throat. It looked so tiny and insignificant just laying there on Annie's vintage sofa.

As I shifted my weight and sat next to it, I looked down at the thing, trying to recall any books I'd read on pokémon types. I wasn't quite sure what this one was. It's perked little ears didn't look floppy at all, and tiny little snout had a splash of lighter yellow fur on it's tip. Both feet were big, having a somewhat talon-ish look to them, although the digits didn't seem harmful. It had a tail as well, a long one with a single brown band near the end. As mentioned before, it's dominant colors were yellow and brown, although around it's ball and socket hip joints, it seemed to have a bit of black where the legs connected. It wore a peaceful expression on it's face as it slept –it's wide eyes shut closed.

I sighed after a moment, shaking my head a bit and bringing a hand up to run through my hair.

"What kind?"

"Hm?" Kathrine looked up, tossing her head a bit to get her blonde bands out of her light eyes. She regarded me for a moment in simple confusion, but she followed my nod downward, to the sleeping pokémon at my side. A light clicked on inside her head, and she lit up. "Oh! We looked through the pokémon book, and we think it's an Abra."

'_So apparently somebody is home in that head of hers.'_

"Oh? And you found it in the grass, so it's probably a grass pokémon..?" I asked, looking back down to the little thing.

"He's not a grass pokémon Gineen!" Annie chimed in from the kitchen.

I sighed heavily, throwing my hands up in exasperation. "Well then, what is it!"

"_He_ has a gender." Annie took care to emphasize said gender as she poked her dark-haired head into the living room for a brief moment to stare at me. I held her gaze, glaring a bit in return. She pursed her full lips after a moment and rolled her eyes, which were an enhanced olive-green due to her contacts. "He's a psychic-type."

Now it was my turn to purse my lips, although in my case, it was in favor of outright frowning. It seemed to favor sleeping more then anything at the moment. Shouldn't it be all... psychic like? I understood it was injured and tired, but shouldn't the damn thing at the very least be mad or frightened at the prospect of being in close quarters with humans? From what I understood, pokémon didn't exactly enjoy being around people unless they'd been previously captured. As I looked back to the thing, I pursed my lips further. It, was of course, still sleeping soundly.

Yeah, some psychic pokémon...

"200 Poké dollars, and he's yours. My sister gave me a pokéball for him."

I jerked my head up, narrowing my eyes a bit at Annie disdainfully and firmly shaking my head back and forth. "I told you I'd come look at it –_not_ that I'd buy the damn thing."

Both of my friends exchanged glances, frowning.

"But Kathy can't keep him, and I can't either. My husband hates pokémon.."

"So? You can find other people to give him to. Give him to your little nephew –he just turned 10, didn't he? He'd love a pokémon, I'm sure of it." I argued, sighing softly upon looking down at said pokémon. Surely there were way better options out there. People who were qualified, and knew what the hell they were doing? "Really, guys.."

Annie's frown deepened, and she plopped down on the loveseat absently, sipping the coffee cooling in her hands. "Well.. it's just that... that we.."

"That?"

"We worry about you Gineen." Kathrine butted in, nodding her head twice, like she was confirming something she already knew.

"...You what?" I turned to look at her, blinking a bit in astonishment.

"Well, since you live alone and all.."

"You can't be serious."

"Well, we are! We just want you to take him to keep you company and all.."

_'Some marketing ploy.'_ I thought to myself as I pursed my lips again, tempted to quirk a brow, although I paused as I got a look at the expressions on their faces. They both seemed to be genuinely sincere about their concern, which was practically unheard of. If I knew anything about the two, it was that they certainly didn't care much to act.

"...I'm still not taking the thing." I grumbled lightly, looking away. "And don't either of you look at me like that. You both know I'm fine enough on my own without a damn pokémon to take care of."

"Please Gineen? We really worry.." Annie scooted over to place her hand on my leg, probably hoping to appease me in some way so that she could convince me to take the damn thing out of her house and into my own.

"Ok, say you worry –fair enough, but _that_ thing isn't going to do much for me Annie-bug. Look at it!" I exclaimed, brushing off Annie's hand absently and pointing to the sleeping pokémon. The dark haired social worker followed my pointing finger to the inert being.

"..Well, he might have an evolve form. And he's injured Gineen... He'll be fine once you get some spray medicine on his scratches and get some food into him."

"You expect me to do these things? Hey, wait.. Backpedal." I frowned a bit as I registered her words. "...evolve form? What does he evolve in to?"

"I don't know Gineen! We're not even really sure he's an Abra yet.. The picture in the pokémon book _was_ a bit blurry..."

"Annie!"

"Nevermind it Gineen! Will you please just take the poor little guy? You can get pokémon food for _free_, and I'm sure he'd make a good companion.." Annie put her hand back on my leg, scooting closer so that she could give me a pleading look. I stared at her, simply frowning. After a few moments went by, and she saw that she wasn't getting anywhere, she paused for a second before hugging onto me. "Oh please Gineen! Please, please, please! I really worry about you, and if anything happened–"

"Jesus Annie!" I scowled unpleasantly, as her suffocating perfume was starting to clog up my precious airways. She tightened her grip, bangles jingling softly as she pulled me in close. For the briefest second, I felt the odd sensation of sexuality confusion as she pressed me to her undeniably large bosom. Thankfully, it was fleeting, and I was back to attempting to pry my friend off of me in no time. Only when it became unrelentingly clear that she wasn't letting go until I agreed, I slowed my struggling. "Christ, Annie! You know what –fine! I'll take the damn thing!" I snapped, still somewhat attempting to pluck her fingers from their iron like grip on my shoulders. She withdrew almost instantly as soon as my words registered, smiling as if she'd done something very marvelous indeed.

"Great! Here!" She leaned over to the coffee table, plucking the small pokéball off of it and handing it to me. I disdainfully took it, pressing the button in the middle to make it expand to it's proper size. My eyes moved to the sleeping pokémon, and I looked back to Annie, frowning further. Putting a sleeping, injured pokémon inside a confined ball didn't seem to be fair, exactly.

"I... don't know about this Annie.." I mumbled, turning the pokéball over in my hands absently.

"Gineen.. Please don't go back on our agreement. I don't want to be stuck with him." Annie crossed her arms lightly, and I turned my head towards her to stare. It was definitely like her to blandly show off her true intentions after ensuring that the pokémon was no longer her burden. I sighed lightly, taking it that there wasn't an easy way out now. Looking back to the inert mass of fur, I felt a sort of pity for the thing well up in my throat.

"Sorry about this..." I muttered as I moved my hand with the pokéball over the sleeping pokémon. After shooting a final glare towards Annie, I took a long, shallow breath, loosening my grip on the mechanical device. The coolness of the ball left my fingertips as it dropped downwards, spinning a lazy once or twice as it fell. Just as I got it into my head that the white and red object was going to clock that poor pokémon in it's sleeping face, the ball abruptly stopped about an inch or so from the Abra's soft yellow fur.

I stared unblinkingly at the small creature as his eyes slowly opened, a distinct purple glow shimmering on the surface of his glassy lenses. As my peripheral vision caught a glimpse of the pokéball, I realized that it too seemed to be glowing. For a long moment, I couldn't bear to break this somber creature's gaze. He stared at me quietly, something about his eyes calculating –almost wise in a strange way. I felt a shiver slowly slide down my spine as I stared widely into his eyes, feeling as though I could hide nothing from this creature... this pokémon. For a simple moment, I felt the click of an off-handed, unspoken connection. I saw mirrors in his eyes –perhaps he was not so different from me as I'd originally thought.

The connection's intensity faded, and the Abra laid his head back once more, closing his beady eyes in apparent acceptance. My pokéball abruptly dropped from it's suspended state, bouncing off the Abra's neck and landing on the floor, rolling once or twice before opening upside-down. It's flashy metal interior sparkled as a red ray of familiar light shot out, latching onto the Abra's arm. It didn't take long before his small figure was engulfed in transparent red, and dragged back into the pokéball. A soft click echoed against the floor as the ball shut, and Annie and I waited for the sounds of the Abra struggling inside his prison...

And we waited...

And then waited some more..

Finally curiosity got the better of me, and I reached down –gently scooping the pokéball up in my left hand and bringing it to my face. It was still, and it's metal surface was cool in my hands. I studied it, turning it over and over until I was able to register the fact that this Abra had not put up a fight. I gazed at the ball, as quiet as the two friends regarding me.

_'Acceptance..' _I thought to myself._ 'You give it readily, and yet you've only known me five minutes... What a mistake you've made. I'm not going to be the trainer you need. How silly of you.' _

Still though, as I lightly set the pokéball in my lap and turned to Annie to ask her for a cup of coffee, I couldn't help but feel a faint sense of flattery.

Perhaps this crazy, psychic pokémon had a reason for doing what he did.

* * *

_~Fin Chapter 2_


	3. Nina

**Down**

_**Chapter 3 ~ Nina**_

**Author's Notes: **Here's the third chapter of 'Down'! I'm pretty content with it. Pardon any mistakes I may have made grammar or spelling wise though.. Still attempting to find a beta. Note me, or say so in a review if you're interested~

Hope you all enjoy!

* * *

My low heeled shoes made dull clanks as I attempted to maneuver around the heavy door with grocery bags in hand. I huffed slightly, frowning as I somehow squeezed my pelvis through to the other side, into my apartment. Getting my upper half to follow smoothly was not such an easy task.

After several more minutes of grunting and cursing, I managed to shimmy into my apartment, moving into my kitchen to set the weighty bags down. Relief settled into my back and shoulders as I plopped down into one of the 'dining room' chairs we kept in the kitchen. My muscles stung in an oddly sensational way as I allowed myself to relax, tilting my head back to close my eyes, feeling them flicker behind their lids. The frequent naps and overabundance of sleep due to boredom I'd been inclined to taking as of late seemed to be taking their toll on me. It seemed to be sapping my energy more then it was helping to boost it. I mean, I suppose I can see how it _is_ slightly logical that your body would be tired and groggy if you oversleep... But still. The idea seemed slightly absurd.

My eyes opened after a moment, and I stared up at the ceiling, tempted to purse my lips at this thought. I really needed to find something entertaining to do with my life. A hobby. But what sort of hobby could I possibly get into?

You'd think a gazillion and nine ideas would come rushing to when I attempted to make the connection between 'adult' and 'hobby', although I strangely felt as though the virtual creativity tit of my mind had been sucked dry. This didn't particularly trouble me though –I'd never been very creative.

"Gineen..? Gineen –are you home?"

I looked over towards the hall upon hearing the familiar voice of my roommate, taking note of it's semi-curious, although admittingly paranoid edge. My face twisted into an amused smile as I pictured the short woman tip-toeing down the hall in her cute little ballerina shoes, a putter raised delicately over her head. Oh, what an odd image that was _indeed_.

"Yeah.. It's me!"

I saw Nina poke her wild red head in almost the moment I called out towards the hall. She gazed at me evenly before straightening and slipping in –her bare feet noiseless against the tile flooring. As I looked my roommate of two years over, I couldn't help but feel affection for the younger woman. Nina was a short one –hardly reaching 5'2, but that certainly didn't bother her. She looked as though somebody had taken a paintbrush and had flicked her many small brown angel kisses all over her face, neck and shoulders. It was rather cute, I thought, and I never could understand why she disliked them. If I could have chosen to have freckles like Nina, I certainly would've. She said they made her uncomfortable in public, or something of the sort.

"Gin.. What kind of soup did you get?" I watched Nina move over to the counter and raise her hands to daintily start removing objects from my shopping bags. Leaning back in my chair, I was simply content to be of no help.

"Chicken and tomato mostly.. Although I got some of that veggie stuff you like." I murmured, starting to pick at my dirty fingernails in an absent-minded manner.

"Oh.. Well, thank you. I appreciate you doing that. I'll pay you back?" At this, she looked over her shoulder at me, offering a kind smile. I blinked, and looked up to meet her eyes, shaking my head abruptly.

"Don't worry about it.."

"Ok then. If you say so." Nina shrugged, looking back to the bags and continuing to unload the groceries I'd bought in silence. Quiet fell upon us, the only sound being the distant thrumming of the AC in Nina's room down the hall. I simply shifted my interests down to my nails and attempting to make them look slightly more decent. Several minutes passed, and I'd managed to clean up four of the five nails on my left hand before I looked up to see something that made my heart sink.

Nina was holding the Abra's pokéball in her hands, examining it intensely. She wasn't particularly fond of pokémon, and I knew that I probably should've thought to ask her before I brought the creature into our house. I felt guilt settle in around my mind as I watched her turn to look skeptically at me. "...What's this?"

"Annie wanted me to take him.. I'm sorry I didn't talk to you about it first. She kind of had her hands tied..." I mumbled, feeling slightly embarrassed as she frowned at me.

"Well, what is it?"

"They leafed through a pokébook before I got there."

"And?"

I shrugged lightly, moving to stand. My body ached in protest, longing the support and comfort of the chair I was leaving, but I simply shook it off, stretching offhandedly as my roommate continued to stare at me. She sighed when I moved over to take the pokéball from her, although she handed it over nonetheless. I pressed the red and white ball to my chest, crossing my other arm absently as I thought to myself, still feeling rather guilty.

"..m'sorry, Nina."

"It's ok Gineen... Maybe it'll be helpful or something." The redhead tried to flash me a smile at that, and I couldn't help but look thoroughly amused. I'd have to do my research, but from what I'd taken the time to experience, Abras were definitely not the most 'helpful' pokémon out there.

"Sure.. Sure." I chuckled, holding the pokéball up to examine it absently. "It's a cutie.. You might like it for that, at least."

"Did you just call a pokémon 'cute'?"

Now it was Nina's turn to chuckle as I turned my eyes to regard her in a very sober manner. "Yes, I did. And that's because it _is_ cute." I said defensively.

"Oh please.. you think those greasy, drunken slobs down at the Lucky Duck are cute... I'm slightly terrified to see what your taste in pokémon is." Nina giggled as she talked, starting to reach for the pokéball. "I'm kinda curious though."

"You insult my taste in men and you don't _get_ to see the damn thing." I smiled down at her, pulling the pokéball up, above her head and out of reach. My roommate frowned at me, reaching upwards for it.

"Oh c'mon Gineen.. Please?"

"Jump for it."

"...No."

"Then it will forever remain a mystery."

"This is harassment."

"It's fun being tall."

We stared at each other for several minutes before Nina abruptly started to giggle, shaking her head. I quirked a brow in return, smirking faintly as I lowered my arm, dropping the pokéball into her own eager hands. Perhaps I was a little too nice at times. This certainly wasn't bothering Nina though. She smiled up at me briefly before looking down at the red and white ball.

"..So, how does it come out?" The red asked after a moment, looking back up to me. I thought to myself before shrugging.

"I think you throw it or drop it."

Nina paled a little at this. "...I don't want to _break_ it.."

"Toss it gently?" I offered, amused at the skeptical expression dawning her freckled face. She handed the pokéball back to me, mumbling about how I should do it since I'm it's master. I felt like rolling my eyes, but figured she'd probably take that the wrong way. To be truthful though, I've never really taken the liberty to learn how to throw a pokéball correctly to catch or call out any sort of pokémon. Once again, I blame that on the lack of interest in them I had as a child.

_'I suppose there's a time to learn everything..'_ I mused to myself, looking to the pokéball. A little tingle of alarm went off in the back of my head, and I silently prayed that it wouldn't break as I prepared to drop it. Looking to Nina briefly, I exhaled sharply upon letting it's round shape slip past my fingertips.

As soon as the red and white object hit the floor, it bounced, swinging open in mid-air and letting out a rather blinding sort of white light. Nina startled, jumping backwards a few feet, whereas I continued to stare down at the mass forming from the light. The brightness faded after a moment, seeming to retreat back into the pokéball, leaving behind the inert mass I knew to be my Abra. I myself startled as the pokéball abruptly hit the floor once more, flying back towards me. My hand came up to catch it reflexively before the object could hit me in the face. The Abra definitely didn't seem to be phased by this. In fact, he still seemed to be sleeping.

It took a minute for Nina to react to all this, and I brought my eyes up to watch her a bit wearily as I waited. Her expression touched upon nearly the entire spectrum of human emotion, from confused, to surprised, to even angry at one point. Finally it settled on what seemed like a mild cross between polite inquiry and disappointment.

"Uhm... Gineen, what exactly.. _is_ he?" She questioned, her tone implying complete and utter confusion on her part. I sighed to myself, partially in relief. I was simply thankful that her reaction wasn't worse.. At least confusion could be converted to understanding.

"It's an Abra, we think.."

"Never heard of it... Why isn't he doing anything?"

I looked to my pokémon, a bit surprised that he could find the time to sleep with all this commotion. He seemed to be perfectly at ease, his back slouched slightly as he sat on the ugly green tile of my kitchen floor, almost entirely oblivious to the world around him.

A brief silence fell between Nina and I as we looked down at the creature, the only sounds being the Abra's soft breathing. A minute that was neither particularly comfortable nor uncomfortable passed before she leaned back against the counter. I looked up to her, relieved to see a small smile dawning her freckled face. "..I suppose he is kind of cute, 'neen." She murmured quietly as she continued to gaze at the motionless pokémon.

"Yeah.." I nodded once or twice in agreement, absentmindedly turning the pokéball over in my hands. The anxieties I'd had about introducing them subsided for the moment as I watched Nina move towards the little fellow, reaching down to gently grasp him by his brown pseudo-carapace. A delighted smile lit Nina's face up as she lifted him up slowly, straightening herself to examine the sleeping pokémon she now held in her arms. "Just be careful.." I cautioned my roommate, moving over to her side. "Annie said her sister found it hurt."

"Oh?" At this, Nina looked to me, pursing her pink lips. "..Poor little guy."

"Yeah.." I agreed, turning my eyes from the shorter woman's to the pokémon. He simply continued to sleep peacefully, seemingly either undisturbed by the prospect of being held by my roommate, or unaware that she was doing so. Either way, I inwardly felt appreciative that he simply kept on sleeping. It made him look cute, and Nina seemed to be more accepting of cute things.

Maybe he wouldn't be such a burden after all...

* * *

_~Fin Chapter 3_


	4. Of Sleep and Names

**Down**

_**Chapter 4 ~ Of Sleep and Names**_

**Author's Notes: **Back with the forth chapter, yay! This is the longest one so far I believe... Ahh, I swear with the next chapter I'll begin my plot-ness, haha! Also, more Nina-ization in this chapter.. And _also, _I now have a beta! Her name is Supreme Distraction, and I'd like to give a shoutout to her in the AN's to say a very big THANK YOU!

Thank you to everybody else that reads and/or reviews.. It means a lot to me, and it's a very big inspiration. I love ya all!

Enjoy~

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Peaceful things floated around my mind and colorful bursts of images that portrayed many things, most meaningless, danced out across my eyelids. Distantly, I was able to feel myself smile as I eased into the trance-like state between consciousness and sleep. My aching muscles sent out vague messages of pleasure due to being able to rest after such a long day of work. Everything felt as though it was as it should be, and for such a lovely moment, I was able to feel at ease...

...Before an abrupt squeak yanked me back into the current time.

I rolled over, feeling my nightgown's neckline twist off to the side and slip under my breast uncomfortably, but still I attempted to shut the noise out and return to that wonderful feeling. A fleeting rush of comfort settled in on my brain. I screwed my eyes shut tightly and scrunched up my face in irritation as the squeaks persisted, causing the feeling to slip from my mind.

Several minutes passed, and I abruptly sat up, swinging my legs over the side of the bed, wincing as my bare toes touched the cold floor. The squeaks were getting louder.

"Pipe down or you'll wake Nina up.." I hissed softly, bringing my hands up to rub at my tired eyes –the v-shaped neckline of my night gown slipping back over my breast as I moved my arms. Upon pushing myself up to stand, I frowned unhappily as I tread quietly across the floor. I made an attempt to ignore the creaky floorboards as I made my way to the other side of my quiet room in the dark, carefully reaching out in front of me in case I bumped into something. It had only been about five minutes since I last shut off the light, and my eyes were still adjusting.

"_Aaaab.. raaaa... aaaaaaa... aaab..._" the tiny voice called out to me as I drew nearer. A tired sigh pushed itself passed my lips, and I looked down into the box which was now at my feet. As my eyes adjusted, I could make out the fuzzy shapes of the pillows and blankets lining the cardboard, making it comfortable for the creature nestled under the covers. I crouched, murmuring sleepy nothings to the little thing as I reached down. My fingers brushed against soft, warm fur, and my eyes finally adjusted enough for me to clearly make out the shape of the Abra I'd been given three weeks earlier.

"It's ok.. Shh..." I mumbled groggily, holding the small pokémon against my chest as I moved to slip into the dark hall. If I'd just kept the damn thing in its pokéball, I wouldn't have had to deal with it waking me up every night for food. To be truthful though, I couldn't stand putting my Abra in there. He'd often wake up from a dead sleep whenever I pointed the ball at him, then proceed to stare at me miserably as I recalled him into his gray prison. I certainly wasn't a cruel person –I didn't enjoy it at all. Keeping him out most of the time made me feel somewhat better about this whole ordeal. I knew I definitely wasn't the most competent owner ever –giving him a bit of freedom was the least I could do.

"_Aaaab.. raaa... Aaabraaaaa... aaa..._" he whispered in his strained little voice, calming slightly as I absently stroked his cheek with my thumb.

We'd definitely confirmed what type of pokémon shortly after we got him. I'd been eating my dinner, and since he was awake and hungry, he abruptly started repeating 'Abra' over and over again.

Although over the last few weeks, I'd tried to get some research done. I'd even asked around at work to trying and learn as much as I could about him. I'd even been lucky enough to have a friend who was into pokémon come over and check him out. I was told that he was very young, hence his constant crying for attention, and thankfully, my friend had confirmed that my Abra was indeed male. Nina kept insisting that I come up with a name for him, but I'd still yet to think of something that didn't sound stupid.

"Why're you up so early 'neen?"

I looked over my shoulder towards the voice, absently gesturing to the squirming baby pokémon in my arms before continuing to lean upwards, feeling around in the cupboards for food.

"He's hungry."

"..oh God, again?" Nina questioned sleepily, rubbing her eyes with her sleeves as she talked. "I thought that thing was supposed to sleep for 18 hours a _day_... You should really keep him in his pokéball at night..." she murmured as she ran one of her hands through her wild red hair.

"He's just a baby, Nina... He can't help it if he's hungry," I said in between my attempts to shush the aforementioned baby pokémon. Said Abra was hardly having any of it. He looked up at me with his beady little eyes, small mouth open half way in mid-cry. I felt my spirits lift slightly as the side of my hand bumped into a small jar of chewy pokémon food. Shifting him in my arms, I scooted the jar along the shelf until I could wrap my hand around it and pull it down, setting it on the counter. "He'll go back to sleep in a bit.." I exclaimed more to myself then my roommate, silently praying that the food would quiet him.

"If you say so 'neen.. I still really do think you should just put him in his pokéball and call it a..." Nina trailed off, yawning widely as her hands dropped from her eyes to pull her shirt down over her panties in an attempt to be somewhat modest. I could hardly say I was paying attention at the moment though.

"But he's a _baby_, Nina.." I groaned slightly, frowning down at Abra as he turned his head stubbornly away from the food.

"I don't care whose damn _baby _he is –Gineen, I need some sleep..." She grumbled tiredly, sauntering over to my side to look down at the still squeaking pokémon. My frown deepened as I attempted to place the chewy molasses and grain mix up against the Abra's mouth. Every time I did so, he turned his head to the left, and every time I tried again to press it to his mouth, he'd turn his head to the right and cry.

"Oh come on..." I mumbled to myself as I lowered my hand, setting the chew clump back on the counter so that I could stroke his cheek in what I hoped to be a soothing way.

"Maybe he's not hungry." Nina suggested unhelpfully, causing me to turn my head to look at her.

"What else would he be then?"

"..Bored?"

I raised an eyebrow at this, tempted to purse my lips in amusement as well.

"Well, babies sometimes cry when they're bored," she informed me a bit irritably, absently picking up the molasses treat and sniffing it. "Ew.."

"It's _pokémon_ food, Nina. I'd be worried if you liked it." I chuckled, pressing the Abra to my chest lightly as I did so. He seemed to quiet down for the moment, pushing his fox-like ear to my breast plate, as if listening to my heartbeat. I certainly didn't bother to question him about this because –quite frankly, as long as he was quiet again, I didn't care _what_ he was doing.

"Bleh.." Nina disdainfully put the chewy ball down on the counter again, looking to the Abra as she wiped her sticky fingers against her shirt. "Seems like you got him quiet... What'd you do to him when I wasn't looking?" she asked teasingly, smirking to herself in satisfaction as she took in the irritated look I threw at her.

"Since we were talking about him like he's an infant, I've decided to hold him as such." I declared pointlessly, as it was already a little bit more then obvious to Nina. She raised an eyebrow as she brought her sleeves up to cover her mouth, trying not to smile.

"You don't say..." The redhead giggled softly, shaking her head as I regarded her bluntly. She continued to grin to herself as she hopped up backwards to sit on the counter, reaching up behind her to scrounge around cupboards for a bag of food. "Oh hey, Gineen? I have a suggestion, by the way."

I raised my own eyebrow at this, inclining my head to indicate that she should continue on with whatever was on her mind. Nina opened her mouth to do so, but abruptly paused. Then she shifted, twisting herself a bit awkwardly in order to pull a small box of sweets out from the shelves. I simply waited, rocking lightly on my heels to keep the Abra quiet as I watched her.

"–I think you should come up with a name for him," the red stated, nodding her head, as if to agree with herself.

"...And that's your big suggestion?" I inquired dully, frowning as she nodded her head yet again, although this time it was much more enthusiastic. I continued to stare at her, but after she said nothing for a full moment, I shook my head. "..I couldn't be able to come up with anything good." My eyes trailed down to the Abra snuggled against my bust as I spoke.

"You could name him after the god of sleep and dreams –'Morpheus'."

"No."

"Or how 'bout 'Comatose'?"

"...Not funny."

"I thought it was." Nina simply chuckled at the blunt expression I shot her.

"I'd prefer it to be something that's _not_ idiotic, and that _not_ linked to _sleep_." I emphasized my words, making sure to speak slowly and clearly so that Nina could both understand and feel somewhat degraded. Now it was my turn to chuckle at the glare she gave me.

"Why don't you come up with something then?" She raised a slender brow at me, poking her fingers into the box of sweets and coming up with a few small dark chocolates.

"..Lenny?"

At this, Nina jerked her head up, shoving the chocolates to one side of her mouth with her tongue so that she could talk around them. "Why don't you just slap a collar on that sucker and call him Spike, Gineen? Honestly.. that's just insulting."

"Koko?"  
"That's a girl's name. No."

"Ren?"

"Too feminine. No."

"Juno?"

"Still too damn feminine."

"Topaz?"

"No."

"...Sleipnur?"

"For Christ's sake, he's not an eight legged horse, Gineen! And that's _Norse_ mythology."

I threw one of my hands up in exasperation, as I was using the other to keep my still-unnamed Abra held to my chest. He looked up at me incredulously as I swung out my hip and rested my free hand on it, glaring at Nina.

"Well, what the _hell_ do you want me to name him then?"

"Whatever's fine with me.. just at least try to be original," she mumbled around a mouthful of chocolate, swallowing thickly to stick her pink tongue out, licking up the stray traces of the sugary treat left on her fingers.

"Ugg.. you're impossible," I grumbled, sinking down to sit in one of the 'dining room' chairs. The Abra squeaked fearfully as he slipped from my grasp, sliding down and off my lap and grasping onto my nightgown for dear life to keep himself from falling to the floor. I shifted, moving both of my hands down to pick him up and place him securely in my lap as Nina abruptly grinned at me.

"..I've got it."

"Oh?" I looked up at her, not all too enthusiastic. "..Do share."

"Kuda." Nina said simply, smiling as if she'd just said something very genius indeed.

"..I don't like it, but I'm assuming it has some significance?" I asked softly, sighing to myself.

"He was a famous Indian magician, who could see while blindfolded. Remember that you told me he did some freaky Houdini-shit where he stopped your pokéball from fall–"

"That's it!" I cut in abruptly, looking down at the somewhat startled Abra in my arms and grinning.

"...So I take it you like Kuda?" she asked after a moment through another mouthful of chocolate, raising an eyebrow.

"No. I don't like it at all, but you just gave me inspiration for a different name."

My Abra looked up at me curiously as I said this, and I gazed back down into his glassy little eyes. I didn't hear Nina say anything else, although I could feel the air around me turn thick with her anticipation. For the moment though, I ignored her in favor of lifting my Abra up to eye level, deciding to speak directly to the creature. ""..What do you think about _Houdini_, Abra?" I asked him slowly, speaking softly, as not to startle him again.

For a minute, he simply stared at me in the same manner a cow would stare at a fence post. I felt my heart sink as the minutes passed, and he continued to have no reaction. Nina shifted, and I could practically see her eyebrows rise in amusement.

"_Houdini_.." I repeated again, cutting into the thick silence. This time though, the Abra blinked his eyes once, twice, before slowly nodding his head and closing them. I couldn't tell whether it was his way of falling asleep because of the boring name I'd chosen, or whether he was satisfied, and for a moment, all _I_ could do was state at him. I heard Nina start to giggle, and I couldn't help but frown as I looked to her. "..Do you think he doesn't like it?"

"He's a pokémon Gineen, I'm sure he's not gonna care _what_ nickname you give him," she murmured around her mouthful of toffee, chuckling, causing me to sigh.

"Oh well.. I suppose it'll be Houdini until I can come up with something better."

"If it makes you feel better, I think it's cute." Nina looked up from her chocolate, poking a finger at herself and grinning. I raised an eyebrow as I observed the unholy sight of melted chocolate covering the red's teeth. "Especially since_ I_ chose it," she boasted cheerfully.

"Technically, you didn't." I reminded her, stroking Houdini's chest absently. "And anyway.. shouldn't you get getting back to bed?"

"S'pose I should.. And you do too, especially since we've both got work tomorrow."

"Great.." I mumbled to myself, sighing. "What am I going to do with him if you're not here to babysit?"

"Bring him to work?" Nina suggested, shrugging at me as she proceeded to stuff another piece of dark chocolate into her mouth.

"I really don't think I could do my desk job with an Abra floating around my office.."

"Oh come on Gineen... He supposedly sleeps 18 hours a day –what havoc could he possibly wreck?"

I simply looked up at her, flashing my roommate a frown. "He –no.. _Houdini's_ a very young Abra. He wakes himself up frequently to eat so that his little body can grow. I'm sure he'll become more like his species description once he stops growing... But he's not like that now. I can't take him to work, Nina.." I said quietly, avoiding the red's gaze.

"..Well then, you need to be there to stuff that puppy up when he starts crying. What else are ya gonna do –hire a poke-babysitter?" Nina questioned playfully, smiling.

"You'll see.. I'll call some friends up tomorrow morning and drop him off before I go to work. I really _won't_ be toting him around the office."

"Sure.. Sure..." she agreed offhandedly, rolling her eyes and hopping off the counter, setting the box of sweets down in what had previously been her seat. I watched her for a few seconds before looking down to the sleeping Abra in my arms.

_'I'll find a friend to take you.. Don't worry –you won't be coming with me tomorrow.'_ I thought to myself, nodding slightly, as if to confirm it. There was absolutely no way, hell or high water, that I was taking him to _work_ with me.

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_Fin Chapter 4~ _


	5. Throwing Balls Around

**Down **

_**Chapter 5 ~ Throwing Balls Around**_

**Author's Notes: **I'm back! I swear to all green and holy I'm back! School's been a bitch -I don't think I can apologize enough for not having posted earlier! I hope my readers haven't abandoned me!

BABY COME BACK.

I've had this chapter half-written for months. Finally finished it!

Thank you for all who reviewed last time, and who will potentially review this time as well.

One word for you, Feral, my good sir -Wiki! ;]

Enjoy, please~

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I groaned, my head dropping down into my hands. My eyes had dark, prominent rings under them, and I felt like shit. For the past few days, I'd been getting close to no sleep, thanks to my reluctance to put Houdini in his pokéball, like most normal people would. To my absolute dismay, he was ignoring the 'sleep 18 hours a day' description that seemed to be favored by most of his species. It felt as though he'd been waking up nearly every few hours for the past few weeks, even during the day time, and _especially_ during the night.

My hand came up to rub tiredly at one of my closed eyes after I dropped my pokégear onto my bed. I'd called practically every person logged into the damned device to see if there was somebody who could babysit Houdini. I'd even gotten up early enough to see Nina off so that I could bribe her for some extra numbers. It seemed as though absolutely nobody was either willing to pick up their phones or agree.

I sighed to myself, running my hands through my shoulder length hair. It was still wet from the shower this morning and it hung limply around my pale face in partial curls. If I continued to let it air-dry, it'd end up wavy by lunch. I knew that I should put some clothes on and move to the bathroom to blow-dry it out, but still I sat there on my bed, trying to figure out what I should do with my pokémon for today.

"_Abra._"

My eyes turned to the left, and I startled when I abruptly found myself staring into Houdini's beady eyes, which oddly seemed to be upside-down.

"Jesus Christ!" I exclaimed, scooting sideways on my bed –hands shooting out reflexively to grab a pillow and clutch it to my bare chest. My heart was thudding so hard against my chest, I felt like I could feel it through the pillow. Self-consciousness gripped me, and for a strange moment I felt a flood of ridiculous thoughts hit me. I didn't quite know why, but it felt awkward to be naked around a pokémon, even a baby one.

The look my Abra shot me definitely reminded me that it's not like he cared.

"_...Abra._" He repeated, continuing to float leisurely upside-down, as if neither my nudity nor my reaction to his newly learned trick was very shocking. I sat there for a minute to slow the pounding of my heart before a chilly frown crossed my face.

Houdini's eyes flickered to my hand briefly, then to my pillow, and then back to my eyes again, and for some reason I felt as though he was saying _'what's with the pillow? You look like an idiot.'_

I frowned and opened my mouth to speak, feeling slightly insulted. "It's because I'm modest, which is something most humans _are_... unlike pokémon."

He simply stared at me, as if either he was not comprehending, or he understood, and he really didn't care. A wave of heat washed over my face, and as he continued to stare at me, I felt a bit stupid for several reason. The first and foremost would be talking to a pokémon which hadn't said anything to me, and for two, because my self-consciousness around a pet _was_ quite ridiculous.

"...Whatever.." I mumbled, setting the pillow aside cautiously and standing to shuffle over to my dresser. Pausing abruptly, I shot a look over my shoulder at Houdini to see if he was still watching. To my relief, he'd moved on to staring intently at one of the bed posts. I shook my head, wondering why he took such an interest in boring things as I proceeded to slip on a bra and a shirt, not giving much thought to my attire.

Like normal, I probably should add. I definitely wasn't a fashion bug like Kathrine and Annie. Walking into a room with my shirt inside out and my pants backwards was something I'd done multiple times before, and shame regarding fashion was a non-existent concept to me.

"Well, Houdini," I raised my voice very slightly to catch the psychic's attention. "Unless somebody calls me back and agrees to take you for the day, it looks like you're coming with me."

"_Ab –Abra._" He whispered disinterestedly, as if I was telling him something he already knew. I was tempted to quirk a brow, but refrained from doing so, reminding myself that it would look rather silly reacting a certain way due to what I felt he was saying.

"You'll have to be quiet at work." I added, turning broadside to him as I brought my hands up, pulling my hair out from the back of my shirt.

"_Abra._"

"And you've got to try not to disturb people."

"_Abra. Ab._"

"And you'll have to stay inside of your pokéball there and back."

"_Ab–_" At this, he paused, turning his head to look at me. With a flick of his tail, his body abruptly swung around so that he was floating casually upright. His beady eyes narrowed, and for a moment, he looked genuinely unhappy, and quite a deal more scary then any baby should look. I flashed him a grin in return.

A pet does what you tell it to do. Houdini, however lazy and young was under my control, and he was no exception to this rule. I considered it a fact, and I took comfort in it.

I smiled to myself as I migrated into my bathroom, but stopped short upon first glance into it.

Absolute mess, was the first thing that I could think of to describe it to the unknowing observer. Curling irons, straighteners, blow dryer cords, and opened bottles of dull nail polish cluttered the counter space. Two extension strips dangled oddly from the sole power outlet to the right of the door, and various tubes of empty lipstick and half used mascara were practically crammed into the cabinet above the toilet, although oddly enough, the toilet seat seemed to be the only non-cluttered thing in sight. Unfortunately, the basin had little red sequins glued to it's sides in somewhat offhanded lines –fault of one of Nina's drunken escapades. All in all, the bathroom wasn't entirely visually soothing.

Despite the mess, this was –oddly enough, one of the coziest places in the house. It was one of only two rooms to have carpeting, and it's own heating system. The room itself was about five foot by five foot; the only things in it being the counter, which stretched along almost the entire wall to the left, and the toilet, which was at the left-most corner. There were no windows, but the lava lamp crammed into the corner of the counter gave the toilet room an oddly still atmosphere.

One of the reasons I chose to move in with Nina was because I loved the idea of having a 'two' bathrooms, one with the toilet, and the other being simply a room with a shower head, a sitting stool and a drain. Perhaps that was because I'd grown up in the standard one bathroom apartment with my mother. Besides.. the idea of waiting for somebody to finish going potty to take your shower _was_ quite ridiculous.

As I rested my hand my hair dryer, I let my eyes trail over the counter. I frowned as I realized that my eyeliner wasn't present. Nina must've taken it.

"Ugg.."

Oh well, it's not like eyeliner made me look any more appealing to my boss when it came to the 'look at me! I'm working hard' field. I threw on something to hide the circles under my eyes, hardly bothering to apply more then lip gloss before I stumbled down the hall and into the kitchen, digging through the drawers for my house keys. It took a while to brave through the complicated layers of pokégear chargers and dead batteries to find it, but once I had it in my hand, I poked my head into the hall, calling for Houdini.

–

"Oh, Gineen! He is _just_ to precious."

"Absolutely adorable!

"Looks like a something a Beedrill and a Rattata would get if they.."

"Hush Kendra... I think he's very unique."

"Oh yes, so quiet.. Such a delight!"

I drummed my fingernails on the edge of my oak desk, absently watching my co-workers argue out their points of views on my new pet. Truthfully, it would've given me a headache had I any _actual_ work to do. Finicky, purse-lipped women such as the ones I filed my paperwork off to like these were always entertaining to watch when they were in the midst of a 'look-at-that-it's-so-cute-gasm'.

And hey, they couldn't really badger me to finish the insignificant shit if they were fawning over the new addition to my family. The whole bringing Houdini to work ordeal had definitely turned out better then I had first anticipated.

I quirked a brow as I watched one of the ladies pick the startled Houdini up in her pudgy hands. Her fingers were barely visible due to the shiny, thickly banded rings she wore. She was a well rounded woman, both financially and in the body department. The layers of fat over her hips bunched under her flower-printed dress as she walked... _if_ she walked. This was actually the first time I'd seen her out of her tiny little office chair in months. I'd sure as hell hate to be that chair, come to think of it.. The poor thing wheezed and creaked under her weight.

_Whose _weight again...?

I wrinkled my nose and frowned a bit as I realized that I didn't have a clue what her name was. Charlotte? Cheryl? Sherry?

It didn't really matter -it's not like _not_ remembering hurt my paycheck. All I knew was that she did something with the files I organized and sent to her via computer. Technology was great at keeping us a good twenty feet apart. Unfortunately or otherwise, Houdini's appearance contradicted the 'always connected, but forever separate' thing we'd had going on.

"Oh, Gineen! You're so fortunate to have something so cute around! He must just brighten up your day!" One of the office ladies squeaked, hugging Houdini close to her heart, and in turn, her jutting breasts. The look on Houdini's face suggested that even pokémon knew when a top was too small.

"..Yeah, he does." I absentmindedly remarked, slouching a bit in my seat and crossing my arms, turning my attention to the computer screen. The numbers rampaging across the screen indicated that returning to their desks was probably the best thing the ladies could do at the moment if they wanted to please their boss... But why ruin the surprise for them?

My feet skimmed the ground as I turned in my chair, leaning over to open one of the file cabinets underneath the desk, and I continued to offhandedly listen to the girls talk. I could see Houdini squirming uncomfortably out of the corner of my eye, although I ignored it. It's not like being cuddled by that woman for three, five, forty minutes was going to kill him.

The ancient scanner across from my cubicle clicked and whined laboriously, attempting to comprehend simple commands given by the poor guy hovering over it. All the bustling of paperwork being done by hand mixed in with the heater's gentle hum in the background, creating the general lull of the office. Although it was a soothing atmosphere to work in, I still felt suffocated. I'd come to terms with the fact that I wasn't really cut out for cubicle work quite some time ago. In fact, if it weren't for the high prices of specialty pokémon food on the market at the moment, and the fact that Houdini was going to need a lot of it in the future, I would've resigned by now. One free bag earned every week I decided I wanted to sit in this confined box was the absolute limit, my boss had told me.

That's some bullshit right there, I tell you.

"–from such a little thing! It was positively miraculous! You both should've been there –as well as you, Gineen! We'd have had a blast."

I frowned, looking to one of the ladies I knew as Carol, having been a bit lost in thought. "..What're you talking about?"

"The local pokémon league championship!" She replied enthusiastically, earning an eye roll from one of her associates.

"She means the ten year old's league held in town.. It's not really championship material." The aforementioned associate filled me in, a bit of a smirk crossing her face. "Mostly just a bunch of ten year-olds throwing pokéballs around and screaming at the top of their lungs."

"Oh! Janet!" Carol squeaked, plopping Houdini down on my desk to fix her friend with a stare. "My niece is _thirteen_, not ten. It's for all ages! And the matches are fairly decent. You _do_ know that the overall winner gets a special type of pokémon from Professor Oak, don't you?"

"Yeah.. But what's the point of that?" Janet scrunched up her nose as Houdini scooted over closer to my side of the desk, shooting glares at anybody who looked in his general direction.

"Oh Janet, must you be so stupid? A rare pokémon is gold for a ten year old!"

"..I thought you said your niece was thirteen."

"You _know_ what I mean."

Janet quirked a brow, as did I, although I was more amused then defensive at this point. Houdini mewled quietly, closing his eyes and puffing out his little tummy, leaning back against my arm as if to get comfortable and fall asleep. I shrugged him away, tapping the desk to get Carol's temporarily diverted attention. "Did your niece win?"

Carol's expression faltered, and she shook her head, frowning. "No... well, not yet, anyway. She's still in, but her Mankey was pretty badly injured in the last round..." Her mood seemed to temporarily uplift as she thought back. "He was incredible though, Gineen. You should've seen him.. That Mankey's the most determined fighter-type I've ever seen!"

"...You lost me at the pokémon." I pointed out, receiving a bit of an odd look for it. It felt weird to be talked to about pokémon by a lady that didn't even _have_ one.

"Some trainer _you_ are, my dear." She commented distastefully, poking a finger at Houdini, who frowned at it in equal distaste. "What do you think you're going to do with him when he evolves? Keep him around as a house pet? Gineen.. Psychics require mental stimulation. They require training."

My frown was chilly, and I diverted my eyes to my computer screen. Truthfully, I hadn't really thought about Houdini evolving. Besides, the only way I'd heard of a pokémon evolving was when it was put in matches and battles. Houdini hadn't been exposed to that before.. And with luck on my part, he never would.

"I'd have to agree with Carol, Gineen.. That poor Abra's going to turn into a troublemaker if you let it evolve and then not bother to train it properly. Kadabra aren't easy to handle, I've heard.." Janet chimed in, flipping through a magazine she'd picked up at my desk absently. I blinked, and looked at her.

"..What's a Kadabra?" I asked quietly. The looks I got in reply told me that it was a stupid question.

"Abra's evolve form.. Don't tell me you've never bothered to look it up!" Carol frowned at me, putting her hands on her hips. One of Houdini's eyes opened and he glared at her crankily for disturbing his sleep while I let my own wander away, feeling awkward. "I suggest you hop on the net and do your research, young lady. If you don't, when he evolves –you're going to get _quite_ the shocker."

"How the hell would he evolve if I don't even battle with him?" I mumbled quietly, starting to handle the numerous orders appearing on the screen, distributing them to different places and pretending to be quite focused on it as both ladies quirked their brows at me.

"Well, sometimes pokémon evolve if something happens in their owner's life. And sometimes they even choose to evolve, or it just.. happens. Pokémon don't always have to evolve in battle." Janet replied, shrugging lightly.

"–And that's why you should aim to be a bit more of a competent owner." Carol cut in, nodding her head as if in total agreement with her own statement.

"Yeah.." My hand went down to stroke the soft fur in between Houdini's ears absently as I shifted him into my lap, as being splayed across my desk didn't look entirely comfortable. He squeaked, opening both of his eyes to look up at me, his tiny pupils dilating slightly. I paused briefly before giving him a bit of a smile. Of course, he didn't smile back –or rather, couldn't. His facial muscles weren't very strongly developed as a lower evolve-form.

"Hey.. Gineen?" Janet asked, catching my eyes. "Why don't you come with us to the matches this coming weekend? Maybe somebody there owns a Kadabra, and will be willing to talk to you about it. Besides.. It'll be fun, and we'll get to see Carol's little niece."

I blinked, turning in my chair to regard the two women oddly. I'd never been to a live pokémon match before, and I didn't know Carol's niece that well. I saw her come into the office once or twice with her mother to talk to her aunt and pick up pokémon food, but seeing doesn't really constitute as knowing.. My eyes turned to Houdini, and I frowned. My major problem. "Nina won't babysit him while I'm out..."

A funny look came across Janet's face, and Carol smiled. "The place will be chalk-full of trainers and other pokémon. Nobody'll mind if you bring him along." She said reassuringly, leaning against the desk.

"Yeah.. Chances are, you'll have young trainers fawning over him." Janet chuckled, flashing a grin at Houdini, who gave her a moody glare in return. I thought about it, absentmindedly swinging around in my office chair to click a button or two on my keyboard. I received death glares from my pet as I leaned over him, but I ignored it for the moment. Grumpy pokémon would be grumpy.

"..Might as well." I said after a moment, resigning myself to my work after the ladies joyfully scribbled down the location and time and scooted it over to my side of the desk.

* * *

_Fin Chapter 5~_


End file.
